NEW YORK, SEPT 4: Ninth seed Greg Rusedski is beginning to look like the player to beat in the star-deprived top half of the US Open draw, and a genuine title threat according to second-round victim David Prinosil of Germany. ``If his serve is working, he can beat anybody,'' an impressed Prinosil said after getting blitzed 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 by the big left-hander on a warm, sunny late summer day at the National Tennis Centre on Friday.Overlooked before the Open after landing in the same half of the draw as the world's two best serve and volleyers - Pete Sampras and Patrick Rafter - Rusedski appears to have found his best form in time to take full advantage of the absence of the injured stars who have six US Open titles between them.``He's in very good shape. He's moving well. He was very fast on the net,'' said Prinosil, who beat Rusedski in a hardcourt match last year and said the ninth seed had never played better against him.Two years ago Rusedski became the first British player since Fred Perry in1936 to reach the final of the US Grand Slam. If he continues to play as he has since returning from a recent foot injury it will not take another half century to get a Briton into the final here.While Rusedski appears to have fully recovered from his physical problems, women's eighth seed Jana Novotna was made to pay the price for returning too soon from the ankle injury she suffered at the French Open.Drawing a tough third-round assignment in former top-10 player Anke Huber, the 1998 Wimbledon champion was sent packing 3-6, 2-6.``I'm not the same player I was before the injury,'' said Novotna. Dominique Van Roost of Belgium, the 13th seed, was also bounced in the third round, ousted 5-7, 0-6 by seasoned veteran and two-time semi-finalist Mary Joe Fernandez. In the day's opening match, 10th seed Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario advanced to the round of 16 with a surprisingly easy 6-2, 6-2 drubbing of 18th-ranked Patty Schnyder of Switzerland.How the seeds faredMen singles (2nd round):5-Gustavo Kuerten (Braz) bt Paul Haarhuis (Neth) 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 3-6 6-2; 7-Todd Martin (US) bt Richey Reneberg (US) 6-4 6-3 3-6 6-1; 9-Greg Rusedski (GB) bt David Prinosil (Ger) 6-4 6-3 6-1; 14-Tommy Haas (Ger) bt Mariano Puerta (Arg) 6-3 6-2 2-6 6-7 (3-7) 6-1; Fredrik Jonsson (Swe) bt 16-Nicolas Lapentti (Ecuador) 6-4 5-7 6-4 7-5.Women singles (3rd round): 1-Martina Hingis (Swi) bt Sandra Kloesel (Ger) 6-3 6-1; 3-Venus Williams (US) w/o Henrieta Nagyova (Slo); Anke Huber (Ger) bt 8-Jana Novotna (Czech) 6-3 6-2; 10-Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (Spa) bt Patty Schnyder (Swi) 6-2 6-2; 12-Barbara Schett (Aut) bt Virginia Ruano Pascual (Spa) 6-1 6-0; Mary Joe Fernandez (US) bt 13-Dominique Van Roost (Bel) 7-5 6-0; 15-Amelie Mauresmo (Fra) bt Tara Snyder (US) 6-4 6-3.Other ResultsMen singles (2nd round): Magnus Norman (Swe) bt Gianlucca Pozzi (Ita) 6-4 6-3 6-4; Richard Fromberg (Aus) bt Markus Hipfl (Aut) 5-7 6-3 6-4 6-4; Chris Woodruff (US) bt Christian Ruud (Nor) 6-2 6-3 6-3; CedricPioline (Fra) bt Lars Burgsmuller (Ger) 7-6 (7-5) 1-6 6-3 3-6 6-2; Hicham Arazi (Mor) bt Fernando Vicente (Spa) 3-6 6-3 6-3 7-6 (7-4); Jiri Novak (Czech) bt Marat Safin (Russia) 6-2 5-7 6-4 3-6m 6-2; Slava Dosedel (Czech) bt Fernando Meligeni (Braz) 7-5 6-1 6-3; Fabrice Santoro (Fra) bt Jan-Michael Gambill (US) 6-4 6-2 3-6 6-7 (7-9) 4-4 (retired); Magnus Larsson (Swe) bt Younes El Aynaoui (Mor) 6-3 6-4 3-6 6-3; Peter Wessels (Neth) bt Mark Woodforde (Aus) 3-6 7-5 7-6 (10-8) 7-6 (7-4); Goran Ivanisevic (Croat) bt Cristiano Caratti (Ita) 6-1 4-6 6-2 2-6 6-4.Women singles (3rd round): Elena Likhovtseva (Rus) bt Irina Spirlea (Rom) 6-1 6-3.
